From the President, OGM minutes, PSG information, and new AM intro

The second anniversary of the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami will be observed on Mar 11 2013. In the past two years JALT members have given countless hours of their time to volunteer in the ongoing relief efforts in the affected areas. We are humbled by the spirit shown by these selfless volunteers, and salute them for their hard work. Thank you for your continued dedication to this most important cause.

Inside JALT, we are also very aware and grateful for the work that JALT volunteers put in to bring publications, events, conferences, and other JALT activities to language teachers and learners in Japan and beyond. We are very keen to hear what members think about JALT and its work. We received a lot of very valuable (and positive or constructive) feedback on the JALT2012 conference in Hamamatsu, and we are going to use that information to put on an even better conference in Kobe. Don’t forget, JALT2013, “Learning is a Lifetime Voyage”, will be held in Kobe, Oct 25-28 of this year! To be sure, we welcome feedback from JALT members on any aspect of the organization year-round via email messages to <feedback@jalt.org>. Please let us know what we are doing that you want us to continue doing, what we are doing that you think we should stop doing, and what we are not yet doing that you think would be important for JALT to do.

Although it is a very rewarding experience to help organize events, prepare publications, and generally support language teachers in any capacity where JALT can make a difference, there is an administrative side to JALT as well. We are very grateful for the cooperation that you, our members, have given us in the past three years as we amended the JALT constitution to enable electronic voting, and then promptly used it for each of the following Ordinary General Meetings (OGM).

The first JALT OGM of 2013 will be held on June 30, 2013. As soon as the information is available we will publish the exact details of the meeting, its agenda, and items that are up for a vote. For now, I would like to ask for your continued cooperation with our requests for online absentee balloting. Thanks to your support, we have been able to hold valid OGMs and thus do our necessary business, such as approving financial reports and installing officers, as well as generally fulfill our requirements as an NPO. We are working hard to become a model organization inside and out. One of the motivations for this effort is the realization that the less time that officers and members have to spend on administrative matters, the more time and energy we will have available to devote to productive activities. In other words, there has never been a better time to help out a bit as a volunteer for JALT! Talk to your local Chapter officers, SIG colleagues, or other JALT volunteers to find out how you can be a part of the great team that helps JALT do its most valuable work.

Thank you again for your support of our activities, and best wishes for the upcoming school year!

Agenda:Item 1: Selection of OGM chairmanItem 2: Results of the 2012 National Officer ElectionsItem 3:Selection of signatories for OGM minutes

Overview of proceedings: JALT President Kevin Cleary began the meeting at 5:30PM, and determined that quorum was established based on the membership in attendance and absentee ballots received (see above numbers).

Item 1:Selection of OGM chairman
JALT President Kevin Cleary nominated Steve Brown as chairman of the OGM, in accordance with Article 25 of the Articles of Incorporation. Steve Brown’s nomination was accepted unanimously.

Item 2: Results of the 2012 National Officer Elections
The following officers were elected to the Board of Directors:President Kevin ClearyVice-President Nathan FuruyaDirector of Membership Judith “Buzz” GreenDirector of Public Relations Ted O’NeillDirector of Program Steve CornwellDirector of Records Roehl SybingDirector of Treasury Oana CusenAuditor Caroline Lloyd

Item 3: Selection of signatories of OGM minutes. Chairman Steve Brown nominated Kazumi Kato and Masahiko Goshi to serve as signatories of the minutes of the OGM. Their nominations were accepted unanimously.

Having completed all necessary business at the OGM, the chairman adjourned the meeting at 5:50PM.

October 14, 2012 (Heisei 24)

Steve Brown, Chairman

Kazumi Kato, Signatory

Masahiko Goshi, Signatory

JALT Publications Peer Support Group

Call for submissions

Publish, Publish, Publish! That is the key to career success these days, but it can be a daunting task. The JALT Peer Support Group (PSG) can help. We are a group of experienced writers and reviewers who collaboratively assist new or inexperienced writers to develop their manuscripts to a (hopefully) publishable level. To find out more about the PSG or submitting a paper for review, please visit our webpage <jalt-publications.org/psg>.

PSG reviewers wanted

We are also looking for new reviewers. Joining the PSG is a great first step if you are interested in becoming more active in JALT or working for other journals. It is also a great way to boost your resume and improve your own writing skills as well. Experience not required—you can receive on the job training from one of our senior reviewers! To find out more about the PSG or joining our team, please visit our webpage <jalt-publications.org/psg>.

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To access the latest JALT Publications, please visit the JALT website and log in (Note: You will need to be a current JALT member).

All material published more than six months ago is openly accessible on this site.

To submit an article or other material to The Language Teacher, JALT Journal, or the Postconference Publication, please see the "Submission Guidelines" listed under each publication.